Hay is essential to any ranching operation but it is an expensive commodity. Loading, transporting and stacking hay bales requires expensive machinery and employs valuable man hours. The heavy machinery required to manipulate large square (e.g. four foot by four foot by eight foot) or round bales can damage well-irrigated hay land that is wet and soft. These cumbersome machines often require more than a single operator occupying valuable pairs of hands.
Large round bales are particularly bothersome to handle. Several machines have been developed to manipulate round bales (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,101,081; 4,329,101; 4,426,183; and 5,639,199). These machines however are large, complicated devices that handle only round bales. Safety is a concern when handling round bales. Round bales can weigh as much as one and one half tons. Since round bales can easily roll from stacks and during transport and it is important that the operator of an apparatus handling these bales is protected when the bales are being manipulated.
Large square bales are likewise a safety concern because of their weight and can be equally as dangerous if mishandled or poorly stacked. Machines for loading (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,481; 5,882,163; and 5,975,824) and stacking (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,952,111; 6,079,926; and 6,328,520 B1) large square bales have been developed. These machines however are often limited in the types of bales that they can handle. Ranchers often have to be able to handle more than one type of bale. Owning a single versatile machine that handles round and large square bales is most cost effective for the rancher.
In addition to safe and efficient handling of large bales, proper stacking and storage of these bales is also important. It is estimated that there is as much as 40% waste when feeding bales. Mildew and rot can seriously deplete a useable hay cache. Mildew and rot are caused by excessive moisture in the bales. Precipitation falling on stacked bales can add to this moisture. It is recommended that bales be stacked so that water falling on the bales is wicked away from the bale. Exposed cut ends of the hay in a bale wick water deep into the interior of the bale. Therefore, bales are preferably stacked so that the cut ends are on the side of the stacks. The twine on bales stacked this way wicks the water away from the bales. Large round bales are often stacked in a mushroom configuration where lower bales are stacked cut-ends up and are then capped by the top bale positioned cut-ends to the side. The top bale sheds water that falls on the stack. Available stacking devices invert and twist hay bales during handling (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,320,472; 5,813,814; and 6,347,885 B1) stacking them cut-ends up.
A versatile bale hauling machine should be able to manipulate a variety of bale sizes and types insuring that the bales are stacked to reduce waste. The machine should be able to be run safely by a single worker, to work efficiently and should be affordable. There remains a need for a bale hauling machine that is faster, cheaper, lighter and more adaptable than those machines that are currently available.
All patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications and publications referred to or cited herein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of the specification.